After Su Yunlin and the others received the academy's reward, Zhou Yi sought them out and gave them another Spirit Bone—one she had won through a bet.
Teacher Zhou did have her occasional redeeming qualities—she really did hand out good stuff. As for the rest… best not to mention it.
This one was called a Secret Technique Spirit Bone. Its origin was somewhat "bloody," but its effect was exceptional. If two Spirit Bones with similar attributes could be found, they could be fused together through this Secret Technique Spirit Bone.
Su Yunlin found this quite interesting. He remembered that Wang Dong would later obtain a Spirit Bone at the appraisal auction. If that one proved unsuitable, he could make use of this instead. After all, fusing two similar-attribute Spirit Bones would undoubtedly result in a significant increase in power.
"Three people, two Spirit Bones… not easy to divide," Su Yunlin said, glancing at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao immediately spoke up, "Class Leader, I don't need one. I was carried by you and Wang Dong—I don't have the face to take a Spirit Bone. These belong to you."
Su Yunlin smiled knowingly. The kid was sensible. While he himself didn't value the Kongming Demon Leopard left leg Spirit Bone, that didn't mean he would refuse it. The Blacknight Duke's Estate still had many retainers to support.
The estate didn't have many Spirit Bones in reserve. This one could be brought back and given to his father as a reward for someone within the household.
With a faint smile, Su Yunlin said, "Since you won't take a Spirit Bone, I'll give you some money instead. There's over a hundred thousand gold soul coins in this black card—take it and improve your meals."
Huo Yuhao hesitated, not daring to accept it, but Su Yunlin didn't give him the chance to refuse. He simply stuffed the card into Huo Yuhao's hand. To him, that amount was nothing more than pocket money—just enough to send Huo Yuhao on his way.
"Alright, let's head back," Su Yunlin said, leaving with Wang Dong.
...
Dormitory 108.
"Two Spirit Bones. I'll take this Kongming Demon Leopard left leg bone home. As for this Secret Technique Spirit Bone, we'll use it once one of us finds suitable Spirit Bones," Su Yunlin said as he divided them.
Wang Dong immediately understood his intention. "You're planning to find two left arm Spirit Bones with similar attributes, then fuse them using this Secret Technique Spirit Bone, right?"
Su Yunlin nodded. "Exactly. This is Shrek Academy. With our status as core disciples, getting good resources won't be difficult—in fact, they'd gladly hand them to us.
"They want us to stay, and we need their resources to grow stronger. It's a win-win. If we fuse two ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones with similar attributes, the result might rival a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone."
Wang Dong stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That makes sense. The Secret Technique Spirit Bone itself isn't high quality, but its effect is incredible. If we can find two Spirit Bones over fifty thousand years with similar attributes… the fused result might truly rival a hundred-thousand-year one. I wonder who created something like this—it's really…"
"Cruel?" Su Yunlin finished calmly. "It is. But in the pursuit of strength, people are willing to pay any price. Soul beasts and humans are natural enemies.
"Sure, there have been rare cases of love between them. The most famous would be—" he paused slightly, "—Sea God Tang San and his wife, Soft Bone Douluo Xiao Wu. But even they couldn't resolve the fundamental conflict. Martial Souls, Spirit Rings, Spirit Bones… these things ensure we remain opposed."
As he spoke, Su Yunlin glanced at Wang Dong. When Tang San and Xiao Wu were mentioned, Wang Dong's expression subtly shifted—like someone reacting to hearing their parents discussed.
That slight change did not escape Su Yunlin's notice.
Wang Dong sighed softly, a trace of reminiscence flashing through his eyes. "They probably had their own difficulties. Back then, Dad— I mean, the Sea God didn't stay long on Douluo Continent…"
Hmm? Shouldn't she not have these memories? Why is she saying this?
Su Yunlin's pupils contracted slightly.
She definitely said "Dad" just now. Even though she corrected herself, I heard it clearly. And those "difficulties"… how would someone of this era know that?
I have foreknowledge, but how does she know? She shouldn't have these memories—wasn't her soul incomplete? I had already planned to separate her completely from Tang Wutong… but now…
His expression turned complicated.
Ever since they developed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he had decided to keep her—even if she was only part of a god's daughter, he would keep her as she was, not let her become some stitched-together existence.
But this reaction… she clearly knew something.
"Wang Dong, you seem to know quite a lot," Su Yunlin said casually. "Where are you from, anyway? I'm from the Blacknight Duke's Estate in the Tianhun Empire."
Wang Dong blinked in confusion. "Didn't I tell you before?"
"No."
Her face flushed slightly as she thought about it. "I guess I didn't… I'm from the Clear Sky Sect. You know—the Clear Sky Sect with the number one tool Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer."
"Oh? The number one tool Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. Then why is your surname Wang? Shouldn't it be Tang?" Su Yunlin pressed.
Wang Dong scratched his head, then laughed awkwardly. "Ah, you caught me. My surname is indeed Tang. You can call me Tang Dong for now—my real name is a secret!"
Su Yunlin's eye twitched slightly. "Then why use Wang?"
Wang Dong shot him a look. "A pseudonym, of course. I'm here to enjoy academy life, not to act like some spoiled young master. It's rare to experience this kind of environment—I want to make the most of it."
Su Yunlin stared at him, sensing that something was definitely off. This Wang Dong… was different.
"Oh right," Wang Dong continued, suddenly changing the topic. "You said you're from the Blacknight Duke's Estate. Is the Blacknight Douluo your relative?"
Su Yunlin paused briefly at the abrupt shift. "Huh? He's my grandfather."
Wang Dong nodded. "I see. No wonder you're not afraid of Shrek Academy or the White Tiger Duke's Estate. That's quite a background. The Blacknight Douluo is a pillar of the Tianhun Empire—on par with the Tianyang Douluo of the Douling Empire."
Su Yunlin's mouth twitched. "How do you know so much about my family?"
Wang Dong grinned. "Because the Clear Sky Sect is also within the Tianhun Empire. We're in seclusion, but not completely cut off—we still keep track of the outside world.
"The Blacknight Duke's Estate is very famous in Heaven Dou City, and we're not far from there. Of course I've heard of it. Back then, the Blacknight Duke fought off a siege by Sun Moon Empire soul engineers and killed his way out.
"They say he killed three Class 8 soul engineers and severely injured a Class 9 one—he upheld the Tianhun Empire's prestige. Of course I've heard stories like that. I just didn't expect the Blacknight Douluo to be your grandfather."
Su Yunlin looked at him, at a loss for words. "Didn't expect you to be such a gossip."
Wang Dong stuck out his tongue playfully. "Hehe~ That means your mother is the Saint Demon Douluo, right? I heard there were rumors that your family once harbored evil soul masters. Even though it was later cleared up, it caused quite a stir."
Su Yunlin was completely speechless. "You even know that? Does your Clear Sky Sect forge hammers or run an intelligence network? How do you know everything?"
Wang Dong just smiled without answering.
In truth, he had already used the Clear Sky Sect's resources to investigate Su Yunlin's background. Not out of suspicion—but because he felt his own identity had long been exposed.
Su Yunlin was too sharp not to notice something was off. Every time Wang Dong tried to "clean himself up," Su Yunlin would conveniently find a reason to leave.
Though he liked teasing him, he always maintained boundaries—never crossing the line.
By now, Wang Dong was certain—Su Yunlin already knew he was a girl.
He just hadn't figured out how to confess it yet.